Thank you to Sharon for playing for us today. And we're thankful for even the hymn choices there this morning. Let's read in our Bibles this morning as we come to the word of God for the message from Ephesians in the chapter 5. Ephesians in the chapter 5. And we're ending our little mini series that we've been having during these summer times on the mind. And so this is the conclusion of this series and the will of the Lord. And then in the month of September, we will be coming to The last message is from the book of Job. So be praying for that even as we return to our studies in the book of Job and seek to complete those then in the month of September. But this morning we're reading from Ephesians in the chapter 5. We're going to read together from the first verse down through to the end of verse 17. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and have given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know that no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them? For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light, and the Lord walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore, he saith, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Amen. And so reads the word of the Lord. As we come to conclude this series, we want to make it a very practical conclusion. We want to contemplate some of the major threats that exist to our minds and then of course provide a remedy that will enable us to ensure that these threats do not overcome our minds, do not even work their work of wickedness and evil within. But as we enter in here to this chapter, the fifth chapter of the letter to the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul writes these words at the very opening. He says, And immediately we are reminded that this is an exhortation then to the people of God. And all that follows is his exhortation to those saints who were gathered there at the churches at Ephesus, and then as the Holy Spirit of God has preserved his word to this day, is God's exhortation to us, his people today, as we gather ourselves, even in this current generation, under the sound of the preaching of his word. He says, walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us. You see, you and I walk in this world. And as we've made our way through these 17 verses, we see that over and over again, he's reminding us of the walk that we are to engage ourselves in. We're to walk in love, we're to walk circumspectly, he goes on to say in the verse 15. And so how we live our lives, how we conduct our affairs in this world is of the vital most importance as we live for God here below. As you and I identify as a people of God, as we profess then our personal faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then there is this requirement that is placed upon us to walk right. First and foremost, it begins with love. Because Paul is always encouraging the believer, is he not? To begin their Christian duties by focusing on their relationship with others. How you and I identify with one another. How we identify even with people from without the company of God's people, people of the world, people yet unseen. How we relate one to another matters much. when it comes to confirming who we are in Christ. That's why he exhorts the believer to walk in love as Christ also hath loved us. Many have been the exhortations given from this platform. Many have been the exhortations referred to that are found in the word of God to love one another and indeed to love the world for whom Christ died. This is just another reminder of that same exhortation. That as we come and go from this fellowship, as we engage even in service together within this fellowship, as then we leave this fellowship and conduct the daily affairs of our lives, that we do what we do, we say what we say, motivated by love. The supreme demonstration of all things remember in the Christian life, we alluded to this in the very first of our studies, as I said, let this mind be in you, if we are to have the right mind, we're to look to Christ. But here, as a supreme demonstration, an example of how we walk in love, he points to Christ once more. The one who came from the splendors of heaven above, the one who walked this scene of time, the one who then went and set his face as a flint to go to Jerusalem. Why? So that he could give of his life there upon Calvary's cross for you and for me. And the love of God, remember, was demonstrated there in Calvary's cross. And now, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That's why we were yet unlovely and unlovable. Why we were yet those who were outside of Christ and had no thought nor time that we gave to the things of God and to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whilst that was the reality of our hearts and our lives, yet still in the plan of God, Christ died. and gave his life for ransom for all. See, the love of Christ, it's unconditional. We never had to and we never will have to do anything to merit such love. He set his love upon us. It's not only unconditional, but it's consistent through all the twists and turns of our lives. You and I have been those who have received continual reminders that we are loved by God, we are loved by Christ. And so it's unconditional, it's consistent, and it remains to this very day the example of what it means to be a believer walking in love. He says in the end of verse 2, he's given himself for us an offering, a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. Referring back of course to the Levitical law and that which was commanded in the word of God for the Israelite people to observe. As part of that sacrifice, there was the necessity for incense to be used very often within the tabernacle and then within the temple. And as then the sacrifices were burned and offered unto the Lord, that incense produced an aroma that was favorable to the sense of smell. And thereby was the picture that as the sacrifices done in an appropriate way, in a God-ordained way, were offered unto God to atone for the sins of the individual, to atone for the sins of the nation, that they came before the Lord as a sweet-smelling savor, that which was acceptable in his sight. And truly we know that the finished work of Christ as he gave his life there on Calvary's cross, it was acceptable to God. That was proved just three days later as he was raised from the dead. That was approved there by the attendance of angels at the tomb to say, why do you seek the living among the dead? That was seen even in those who came from the splendors of glory to travel with him back to be with his father. was seen then by the grand entrance into heaven itself, where now he sits enthroned in the majesty and high, waiting until that appointed time of God to come and to make his enemies his footstool. And all that Christ accomplished there on Calvary's hill, it was that which was a sweet-smelling savour to God, but it was necessary for the redemption of your heart, and for my heart, it was necessary for the payment of the price of sin that was evident in our lives. And so as that which Christ accomplished on our behalf was sweet-smelling savour, and as now we live as those blood-bought people here below, we are exhorted to live in a way which in itself produces something of satisfaction to God, something which continually presents before him that which he can accept in his sight. That's why the Apostle Paul said, present your bodies. a living sacrifice. That evidence of a changed life, the reality that once you were involved and engaged in the things of this world and you lusted after the things of time, but now because of Christ you've been set free, now because of Christ you've been liberated and set on a different path, all of that testifies of a changed life, but that life That changed life should be presented to God as a living sacrifice. Why? Because day by day we should desire to do things which are well pleasing to our God. So we walk in love. We walk circumspectly. But how does this all come together then when we come to consider the matter of the mind? How does our walk, how does our daily activities then all marry together with the things that we've already looked at and we'll come to look at today in light of the study of the mind and how we are to have that mind of Christ. Well, I believe that the apostle here is helping us to remember that because we are changed, because we are those who have been set free, because we have known that cleansing from sin, that we must ensure that we remain unspotted from the world day by day. It's an exhortation to holiness. You and I can only walk right before God, we can only walk in love, we can only walk circumspectly, we can only walk in, verse 8, as children of light, if we know what it is to remain unspotted from the things of this world. And remember, as we think in our minds, it will fester in our hearts, and out of our hearts proceed all the issues of life, what we think we will do one day. Eventually, what's on the inside will come out. And that's why it's of the utmost importance, as we are encouraged from the word of God and exhorted from the word of God, that we must guard the battlefields of our minds and ensure that we win the war, we win the conflict. And in this passage, especially here from the verses 3 to the end of verse 7, he helps us understand some of the things that we must not do if we are to remain unspotted from this world and from the things of time. Verses 3 and 4 remind us that we're not to downplay, to minimize, or to compartmentalize sin in any shape or form. But fornication, all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as we cometh saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. We'll come back to that closing phrase there, giving of thanks, in the later part of our sermon. But here in verses three and four, we're reminded, don't downplay that which the word of God directly speaks against. Perhaps it's true to say that in this generation we live in a time when very much of what God's Word speaks about, we as believers seek to downplay. We engage ourselves far too easily and entertain far too easily that which is foolish talking or jesting. but all about the subject matter of things which the word of God speaks clearly against. But if we are to win the battle of our minds, we are not to minimize sin in any shape or form. We're not to think that it's perfectly acceptable to go to this point, but as long as we don't cross over to this point, we're still okay. We're not to get, as it were, as close to the edge of the cliff or to get as close to the heat of the fire without getting burnt, without falling off, whatever the case may be. That is not to be our mentality. But so easy it is for us all. Us all. This is not a message in which is pointed one way. Us all. Myself included, how easy it is for us to downplay, minimize, or enter into a form of conversation which trivializes the sins that God's word directly speak against. It goes on to say in verse 5, For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. The things which we are so easily tempted to minimize, downplay, or compartmentalize. Those are things that bar people from the kingdom of God. They're the very reason that Christ came into this world and offered of himself one sacrifice for sin, these sins, forever. So that's our duty. Not to downplay or minimize that which will result one day. in our friends, in our family, in our work colleagues, and in those who live around us being cast into a Christless eternity forever, and yet many of us have been guilty of laughing, jesting, or entertaining such sin. In verse 6 he goes on to say, let no man deceive you with fain words. For because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. And I believe that we're reminded here, not only are we not to downplay, minimize or compartmentalize sin, but then we're not to let the sweet talk of this world cloud our view, our judgment of sin. We live in a world in which people try to rationalize everything. They try to be able to speak and explain about why individuals behave in certain ways or perhaps have certain bends toward their desires and other lusts that consume them and why they step over into the grey area as some refer it to. But we're not to be deceived. You see the media is very good in our world especially at this very moment in time of conditioning us. conditioning those who are partakers of their output, and accepting that which they try to normalize. You and I need to be on our guard. That begins with thinking biblically about the things that we're confronted with through our media, through the publications of this world, even young people through your teachers, Through those who educate you, you must have a biblical mindset. And that's not easy as a child, it's not easy as a young person. I understand that your knowledge of the word of God is in some way limited. You're very much coming to terms with all that the word of God speaks of and it seeks to even lay down as the precepts and the principles of life. But nevertheless, don't swallow whole what others give to you. rather always seek to filter it through the word of God. And if we do so, then you and I will be on the pathway to winning the battle of our minds and ensuring that we walk in love, we walk as children of light, and we walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. So believer this morning, don't downplay, minimize, or compartmentalize sin, but don't let the sweet talking of this world, the excuses of this world, run roughshod over the word of God and explain away all the reasons as to why our society and why the trends in our society are the way that they are. All must be done in balance. Don't mistake me and become a crusader who is caustic in terminology and condemning all those who are involved in such practices or such lifestyles. That's not to be our form or pattern either. Begins with a non-acceptance. We don't simply nod our head in agreement or acceptance of such lifestyles, of such laws, and of such ways of living. But rather, we always then walk are seeking to show them a better way, a better path, ultimately a better person. And so it's not just our duty to condemn and point the finger and wag the finger and nod our head in agreement whenever there's a tax made on those who live in a certain way that we wouldn't approve of or do things that you and I don't agree with. It's not that way at all. We're to win them. We're to woo them. and we're to live among them but separate from them. May God give us all the grace in doing so, because that truly will allow us then who once were sometimes darkness, in verse eight, but we're now light in the Lord. It will allow us then to walk as children of the light. And to manifest those fruits of the Spirit, he speaks of in verse nine, the goodness, righteousness, and truth, but notice first of all, goodness. Goodness. It doesn't matter how much truth you're able to speak if you can't speak it in love. It doesn't matter how much truth you're able to point to and back all your arguments and your statements up with, if you do not have a good bone in your body, your efforts are useless when it comes to furthering the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and walking as children of light. So let that always be evident in our lives. But we're trying to mesh together these trysts of walking and then our minds of how then our minds are ordered. We're trying to seek to point to remember in a practical way as to how we can overcome the threats that exist to our minds. And I've thought about this, read about this in a very widespread way and I've boiled it down to three major things, three major threats that we all face. The first one's time. Time. The busyness of life is one of the greatest threats to our lives, to our minds and to our well-being. There's no doubt about it. Perhaps one of the greatest evidences we've all come face to face with through this whole COVID pandemic and different lockdowns and restrictions and the inability to live life as we once did was we began to realize what we could do without. We began to realize what simply padded out our lives, what filled our schedules but wasn't really necessary. We began, I believe, at least in our home, we began to understand a little bit more of the importance of time and how much time was wasted in frivolous activity or unnecessary journeys. But you and I can become so busy. We can become so enwrapped with the things of this world and so caught up with all that's going on and going to everything that's available to go to and meeting with everyone that wants to have a meeting that we can forget or feel miserably many times to set aside the time to do the needful, to do the necessary thing. Remember, we've begun this series, we've preached the message after message after message, but it all came back to a right understanding of the Word of God. Our ability to win the battle of the mind is only as good as our ability to handle the Word of God. To know its themes and to identify even its truths and to apply them then to our own lives. But time is the biggest threat to all of that. You and I will not become masters of the word in any shape or form. We will not increase our ability to understand God's word or capacity to remember God's word if we do not religiously and purposefully set aside time to be in the word. I'm preaching to the choir here because I'm one of the worst for it but Many of us live our lives fine-tuned to the clock. We fit in as much as can be packed into a period of time in a day. Many times we're going from one thing to another in a tractor. Our roadworks can get the blood pressure going. Why? Because we've fine-tuned our lives to the point of breaking. That's the truth of it. And what happens whenever you are caught unawares by such events? Or what happens whenever the busyness of life overwhelms you and the pressures of life threaten to overcome you? Your mind is affected. Time is precious. Time is important. And you and I must be aware of time. We must be very conscious of the importance of using our time wisely. That means that you and I must be masters of our time, not mastered by time. So I urge you, reflect on your own life. Consider your own schedule. And before anything else is found therein, ensure that that time for God and for his word is found. The first is time, but the second is treasure. Keeping up with the Joneses, the desire to have more, the desire to experience more, the desire to appear more and more successful. all can have a major impact upon the stability and indeed the security of our minds. We look around us and we see others perhaps doing this, that and the other and we feel naturally and almost instantly a pressure to catch up or to go ahead. Perhaps it's just the desire to have more and more of the things of this world and very soon they become not goals of our life, but gods of our lives. Just as we are to ensure that we are masters of our time, not mastered by our time, then so too I believe that we are to ensure that we do set goals. Setting goals in life is not in any way a sinful or an evil thing, but we are not to turn those goals into gods, pursuing them at any and every cost. So guard against the temptation Guard against even the evil aspect of the treasures of this world. Guard your time. But the third, I've tried to make them all T's. I hope you appreciate that. Whenever it came to the stewardship of life, we talked about your time, your treasure, and then your talent. Well, talent's not found in this list of T's. Rather, it's technology. Technology. Reading around on this subject matter got me to Conclude this point. Every generation believes they've lived in the most high-pressure generation. That's without a doubt. And really, when you reflect upon it, can you say that your life is any more under pressure than perhaps a family in the middle of the potato famine who were scratching around for their next meal, their parents perhaps debating and toiling with the possibilities of moving to the new world all of those things had their own pressure. You think of the World War. All of the pressures that were found both here within our own country and then for those who left the country to go and fight for freedom. Pressures were to be known and for the days and the years after it, then the pressures took on a whole new dimension as the country recovered and as economic, the economic The wealth of people was depleted and there was very poor days to live through, very hard days, very difficult days. So it's without doubt that almost every generation has this understanding that they live in the most high-pressured, most stressful generation. And whilst it's not at all wrong for us to perhaps have that assumption, have that conclusion in our own generation, what is truthful about it all is simply that technology has simply increased that stress, increased that pressure. Now, technology in and of itself is designed to help and to assist, but we all know from the simple little object that many of us, if not all of us, carry in our bags, our purses, our pockets, the mobile phone has brought greater pressure into life than rather being able to assist in reminding the husband or the wife to bring home the milk from the garage or to pick up the child at a certain time. There's been added pressure. And technology is definitely, without doubt, one of the greatest threats we face in this generation to the stability and the security of our minds. You come to the very basics of technology and how many of us truly spend time in silence? How many of us know what it is to pass any period of any day uninterrupted by an email, a message, music, video, whatever the case may be. How many of us know what it is to be captivated by living a life for likes and retweets and comments? I know many believers who have known what it is to reach a point where it was necessary to take a break from social media and from texting. Those are the realities we live in. Young people now are bullied via technology. Young people now are increasingly, even at very young ages, becoming addicted to technology, feeling their lives are empty or incomplete without it, that they can't go from one moment to the next without having some electronic device in their hands. Their behaviour and their pattern of behaviour, their attitudes are all affected, their sleep patterns, all affected by technology. Technology has its benefits, there's no doubt about it. But we must, as believers, be aware and indeed proactive against guarding against the great dangers of technology. You're here today and you've sat now for right around 23, 24 minutes listening to me. The only thing that has allowed you to stay fully engaged, if you have, is a spirit of God. Because every study will tell you that the mind cannot cope with anything more than 12 to 13 minutes in length. That's why even as you consider commercial TV that breaks, the ads come in such frequency. Why? Because the mind cannot engage for such long periods of time. It's proven medically, it's proven scientifically, it's proven psychologically. And so you and I must be on our guard against being dumbed down by the things that this world has created. And so those are the dangers. Well, how do we overcome? How do we win? How do we prevail in the struggle against such things? Well, in verse 10, we prove what is acceptable unto the Lord. It all begins, remember, with the word of God. And it's the drum that has been beaten right throughout this little study and it'll be the drum, I trust, that will beat on in your heart and mind as we finish this study. Prove everything by the Word of God. And to do so, you must be in the Word. You must set aside the time to study the Word, to understand the Word. You must listen to the Word preached and expounded. So prove what is acceptable unto the Lord. But then in verse 13, we must reprove the things of darkness. Not only approve what is acceptable, but we must reprove the things of darkness. It says in verse 11, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret, but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. What's the light? The entrance of thy word giveth light. Light cometh by the word of God. So as we prove what is acceptable unto the Lord, then we have the ability to reprove the things of darkness, for the light exposes that which is contrary to the word of God, that which is of our enemy, the devil. And then not only are we to prove what is acceptable and reprove the things of darkness, but then in verse 16, we're to redeem the time. We're to seek to use the days that God has given to us here on earth. engaged in profitable activity, profitable endeavors, things that you and I will one day meet on the other side of eternity. Can I tell you, it won't matter then if you got 20 likes or 120 likes. It won't matter if you watched all the YouTube series or you only made it through the first three. Because in glory all of those things will be but a distant memory, if, if a memory at all. Redeem the time. I said we'd come back to Thanksgiving because I believe this is the only way we can prevail. Colossians chapter three in the verse 15. Paul writes, let the peace of God rule in your hearts. To the witch also ye are called in one body. You want to know peace in your heart? You want to know peace in your mind? Well, we've sought through this series to give you a pattern of living in order to accomplish that. And here he's saying, let that peace of God rule in your hearts, rule in your minds, to the which also you're called in one body. But then he ends and says, be ye thankful. God has given us a great opportunity to live God has given us a great opportunity to live in this current generation, despite its difficulties and despite its moments whenever we toil and struggle, God has given us this opportunity. And whilst there are many dangers in life and whilst there are many things at war against us and at work against us, we have so much more to be thankful for than we have to be cast down. May it always be true that our minds are dominated by a spirit of thankfulness for all that Christ has done for us and for all that God affords to us. And may we all win. in the battle of the mind, and may we all overcome through him and through his unchanging word. May God bless truly these thoughts to each of our hearts, and we pray that even in our own lives, we will see the benefit of all that we have spoken of. Father, we just want to pause at this point and thank thee for thy word. It's that which abideth forever and changes not. And so we come to thee today and give thee thanks for everything that is contained therein, which can guide us aright, which can keep us right, and help us to live right, even in this world below. So have thine own way and give us greater understanding, give us greater desire even to overcome the things and struggles of this time. For it's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. We're going to sing